LED strip lights have been on the rise over the last few years as a unique (and energy-efficient!) way to decorate living spaces.
These lights are bright, inexpensive, and can come in a range of different colors and designs.
However, many people may come across one problem in particular: the light strips they’ve bought are too short!
If you have an LED light strip that stops awkwardly in the middle of your wall, you may be wondering if you can simply connect it to another LED light strip. Will this work? What if they’re from two different brands?
Today, we’ll be going over the do’s and don’t when it comes to connecting different brand LED light strips. We’ll take a look at:
- How to connect different branded LED light strips together
- Whether you can connect multiple LED strips together
- Safety considerations to keep in mind.
Let’s get into it!
Contents
Can You Connect Different Brand LED Light Strips Together?
Yes, you can connect different brands of LED lights together, provided that they both have the same voltage, polarity, control gear, and thermal resistance. If the two LED lights are too vastly different, then they will not work when you try to connect them.
How to Connect Different Brand LED Light Strips Together
There are a few different ways to go about connecting two LED light strips together. Let’s take a look at how to go about this, and factors to consider when connecting two LED light strips:
Connecting with connectors
The easiest and safest way to connect two LED light strips together is by using connectors. You can purchase LED light strip connectors either online or at specific hardware or electronic stores.
There are three different styles of connectors, and each is fairly simple to use. There is a clamp style, a style with pins, and a style that connects at just one end – great for connecting the strip to your power supply.
Connecting without connectors
There are a few ways to connect LED strips without the use of connectors. One common way to do this is by soldering the strips together.
This requires a soldering iron and a steady hand, so make sure you’re confident and prepared before trying this method.
Another way to connect LED strips without a connector is by using electrical or LED tape. This won’t provide the most attractive or seamless connection but is a quick and easy fix.
Factors to consider
There are some important factors to consider before you attempt to connect two LED strips together. Let’s take a look at some important factors when working with LED lights.
- Voltage: To connect LED strips together, they must have the same voltage. There are two main voltage levels for LED strip lights: 12 volts and 24 volts. Be sure to check what voltage your lights are before you attempt to connect them. Connecting LED lights of two different voltage levels can cause them to burn up.
- Polarity: It is important to make sure that the polarity of your LED strips is properly aligned. To put it simply, make sure the positive connectors line up with each other, as well as the negative connectors.
- Control gear: Another factor to consider is the control gear of the strip lights. These can differ depending on brand, so make sure that your two LED strips have the same control gear before you connect them.
- Thermal resistance: This is what measures how quickly the LED strips heat up. Depending on the material used, your LED strips may have differing thermal resistance levels. It is important that the thermal resistance of the LED strips is the same when connecting them, as unbalanced thermal resistance could cause damage.
- Order of RGB channels: If you are attempting to connect two RGB (red, green, blue) LED strip lights, it is important to check that the colors line up. Some brands of RGB strip lights place the colors in a different order (such as BGR). If the RGB channels aren’t aligned, the colors won’t function as intended and may cause flickering or dimness.
- White LED vs. RGB strips: When connecting two LED strips, make sure they have the same color channels. Attempting to connect a white LED strip, which displays one color, with an RGB strip may cause flickering and faulty behavior.
This is because the color channels are not the same, so there is no way to connect them properly.
Can You Connect Multiple LED Strips Together?
So, you’ve connected a second LED strip to extend the length of your lights, and… it doesn’t reach!
The light still ends in an odd place, smack bang in the middle of your wall. Is it fine to go ahead and attach a third LED strip? How many is too many?
Limitations and considerations
Your power supply can only handle so much! Take into consideration the wattage of your power supply, and compare that to how many watts your LED light strips consume.
This should give you a good idea of how many you will be able to connect. There are resources that help with these calculations; just be sure that you are calculating correctly!
Do RGB LED Strip Lights Require Special Connectors?
If you are connecting two RGB LED strip lights, you’re going to want to make sure you’re getting the right connectors. A standard single-color LED connector isn’t going to work for this type of light.
Compatibility of connectors
When purchasing a connector for your LED light strips, be sure that you are getting the correct type.
A connector for a single-color LED strip will have two copper pads, and a connector for an RGB LED strip will have four copper pads. This should be specified on the packaging, but it is a good idea to double-check.
Safety Considerations
Working with electricity, wires, and potentially even soldering irons can be dangerous business.
Make sure that you are taking precautions when connecting your LED strip lights and not creating any safety hazards.
Ensuring safety when connecting multiple strip lights together
Some factors to consider when it comes to connecting your LED light strips are:
- Light compatibility: It is crucial that the two LED strips that you are connecting have the same voltage, polarity, control gear, and thermal resistance. Connecting incompatible LED strips can pose a serious fire risk.
- Soldering safety: If you decide to solder your strips together, you will be working with heat very close to exposed wires. Be sure to follow instructions carefully.
- Number of strips: Connecting too many strips to one power source can pose a serious fire risk. Be sure to check the wattage of your power source, and the watts consumed by each LED strip.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, LED light strips can be connected fairly easily, as long as you follow a couple of important guidelines. You don’t have to settle for an LED light strip that stops abruptly and ruins your creative vision.
Simply grab an LED connector, some electrical tape, or a soldering iron, and (very carefully) get to work!
